PlaySight Interactive, a cloud-based video and analytics platform used by professional teams for training, will bring video assistant referees and broadcast services to Europe in a new multi-year deal with the Belgian Pro Basketball League.
The deal will make PlaySight the official broadcast, live streaming, and performance technology partner of Brussels-based EuroMillions Basketball League, operated by the BPL.
PlaySight will install its SmartCourt technology in each team’s arena to bring HD live streaming and automated video highlights to fans, something that PBL General Manager Wim Van de Keere said he hopes will increase visibility and elevate interest in the league.

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“There is an insatiable hunger for sports content right now, and that is no different in Belgium where basketball is one of the most popular sports,” said PlaySight CEO Chen Shachar.
Interestingly, the PBL deal will include VAR replays, using a similar technology to the one that debuted at the FIFA World Cup this year.
The same tech will also be used to power athletic performance analysis tools for coaches and athletes via PlaySight SmartCourt, which leverages multi-angle video and proprietary analytics to help athletes improve their on-court performance.
PlaySight’s SmartCourt technology is currently used by a number of professional sports teams, including NBA teams such as the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. The company’s video technology is utilized in more than 25 sports across 20 countries, including tennis, golf, soccer, and football.
SportTechie Takeaway
PlaySight earlier this year raised $21 million in a Series C funding round that included investment from SoftBank, the Japanese tech conglomerate. At the time, Jay Choi, a senior associate of SoftBank Ventures Korea, predicted that PlaySight would become “the technology platform of choice” across youth, amateur and professional sports. The company had said it planned to use the late-stage funding round to expand into new verticals, such as using its data-infused video streams to enhance fan engagement and broadcast. Its deal with the PBL shows an effort to provide an all-in-one package for leagues, from analytics to broadcast and even replay technology to assist referees.

For a second straight year, the National Women’s Hockey League has partnered with Twitter for the rights to stream live games. The deal includes 16 regular season games, the 2019 NWHL All-Star Game, and the Isobel Cup Playoffs.
Broadcasts will be produced by the NWHL and will stream globally for free on the league’s Twitter account. Users will not be asked to log in to access the live stream according to an NWHL press release. The live stream on Twitter will also include advertising packages with digital ad spots as part of a collaborated marketing and promotions effort between Twitter and the NWHL.

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“Twitter has been an invaluable partner to us, and we’re delighted to present the Twitter Game of the Week for our second season,” said NWHL Founder and Commissioner Dani Rylan in the announcement. “Twitter has helped significantly increase the NWHL audience and given our professional women’s hockey players a deserving global spotlight.”
Last year’s Isobel Cup Final, attracted an audience of more than 900,000 fans on Twitter, and the All-Star Game drew 580,000 Twitter viewers, according to the press release. The 2018/19 NWHL regular season opener will stream on Twitter on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 5:00 p.m. ET when the Metropolitan Riveters visit the Minnesota Whitecaps.
“We are excited for the return of live NWHL games this season to Twitter,” said TJ Adeshola, Twitter’s Head of US Sports Partnerships. “Passionate hockey fans around the globe will continue to be able to view live exciting game action along with the robust conversation all in one place on Twitter.”
SportTechie Takeaway
For sports fans, the ability to stream games via social networks such as Twitter or Facebook has opened up a new type of viewing experience. Users are able to add real-time comments in the game window to chat with other fans watching the stream. MLB has also been experimenting with streaming on social media. This past season, it streamed games exclusively for the Facebook Watch platform, although the initial launch received mixed reviews from fans.
Streaming games for free is a way for a young league such as the NWHL (established in 2015) to build up its fan base. A recent Nielsen report found that 84 percent of general sports fans are interested in women’s sports, and thus the market opportunity is large.